Burdick pastor stays relatively close to home
Staff writer
Becoming the new part-time pastor at the United Methodist Church in Burdick is letting Michael Graber stay close to his mother.
“She lives alone, and I’m the closest of my siblings, so it’s up to me to make sure she gets to her doctor’s appointments and take her to get groceries,” he said. “The part time hours and the distance make it ideal.”
His wife, Sharlan Graber, is pastor for Canton and Galva, where the couple live. It is only an hour from Canton to his mother’s house in Pretty Prairie.
While he has not met many community members, Graber said those he have are a caring and loving group.
“My goal is to help the church be the best representation of God’s love that it can be,” he said.
Graber spent three years in Burrton before being transferred to Burdick. Last year he was on medical leave after undergoing four eye surgeries.
Graber is from Pretty Prairie and graduated from Southwestern College in Winfield. He received his master’s in divinity from St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City.